06 January 2012

KKSblog.com - Freedom from what?

KKSblog.com - Freedom from what?

Freedom from what?

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 03:45 PM PST

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Dec 2011, Sasolburg, Johannesburg, South Africa)


In religious tradition we find many values that are restricting interactions between men and women. Or restricting foodstuffs, consummation of alcohol, drugs – all of these things are governed by religious tradition. But there is logic to it, because there are also problems with these things. This is what we see, that when these things are becoming very prominent, then it gets into a huge mess! I mean if one's own son becomes severely addicted to drugs, then you cannot even have him in your house anymore, since he will steal everything that is there. That is what will happen and everyone knows that it gets like that. What to speak of all the violence and other things that are relating to something more socially accepted, such as alcohol!

So many spiritual traditions in the world are either forbidding or restricting these things, because they obviously bring problems in life! So there are regulative principles. The Vedic scriptures – the Bhagavad-Gita (which is one of the Vedic scriptures) is saying that it is introducing the regulative principles of freedom. All these regulations that are there, are not actually meant to suffocate people. A lot of people from all over the world have turned away from religion because they were tired from all these narrow suffocating ideas, and they just want to be natural:

'I just want to be natural!'

That tendency is there in the modern world…it's everywhere. It doesn't matter whether it is in Bombay…New York… Johannesburg…Paris or London, since it's all the same thing. The churches, temples and other religious buildings are empty due to people wanting to be free and natural. That is fine, but the Bhagavad-Gita is saying that these restrictions are the regulative principles of freedom. Freedom from what? Doesn't look very free at all! Not allowed to do anything. Not allowed to drink or smoke…………….. With so many restrictions, how can we call that the regulative principles of freedom? Yes they are called the regulative principles of freedom, because they set us free from suffering – that is the essence of it!

Sankirtana festival in Simhachalam

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 12:56 PM PST

After his short stay in Munich, Kadamba Kanana Maharaja left to a farm-project near Passau in Germany. This is the place where Lord Nrsimhadeva resides and it is very fittingly called Simhachalam. It's the venue for the yearly Sankirtana Festival which attracts dedicated Sankirtana devotees from all over Europe to gather. The festival is a celebration of the success of the December book marathon that goes on in the middle of a bitterly cold winter.

Upon arrival at the farm, we were welcomed by half a meter of snow which was a rather sobering experience remembering that we just flew in from hot South Africa. Anyway, it seemed that the colder it was the more fiery the kirtanas became.

Every year, the festival consists of amazing Guru Pujas and Gaura Aratis (brahmacaris going mad dancing in ecstasy), inspiring and fired-up Sankirtana classes (Kadamba Kanana Maharaja told the story of how he was distributing books in hospitals in the old days) and wonderful bhajanas that continued from the evening to Mangala Arati the next morning.

And of course there was Nrsimhadeva! Hour-long abhishek ceremonies, maha-prasadam flying through the temple room, wonderful outfits and lots of prayers to glorify the Lord in His furious form!

All in all, once again it was a wonderful festival and a worthwhile visit!

Can’t view the slide show below? Visit flickr!

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